Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Play based preschools?

Is there such a thing? I have tried daycares and "Montessoris" for my 3 year old [just turned 3 a week ago], and none of them worked out. He gets really bored especially with the letter of the week, color of the week, number of the week, shape of the week, etc. What are my options? I am now looking at Creme de la Creme because it has some extra things like soccer. But it still has a curriculum. I know he would be happy to just go play with other kids and that is all he really needs. He gets all the academic fulfillment/challenge he needs at home [or so I think]. Am I being too radical in thinking this way? Should he be in a formal situation so he can start learning to sit down, listen, fit in?

If any of you are from the DFW metroplex, what play based preschools are there in the North DFW area? We live in the Coppell, Irving, Lewisville area.

TIA.

I am sorry I don't know about DFW, but my DS8 always went to a preschool that was a Child Development Center (2 different schools in two different cities) and were what I would call play based. They had different centers and many choices, and it was the student that decided where they wanted to be and what they wanted to be doing for the most part. As he got toward K age they started doing a short circle time to get them ready for school and my DH who is a High School math teacher did teach a math lesson using magic counting sticks (aka licorice) once. My son thrived in this enviroment and still started K a few grade levels ahead (alhtough I did not know that at the time).

Although I had my reservations about their methods, it looks like I'll be enrolling my daughter in a Montessori preschool shortly. If your Montessori school had letters, colors, numbers, and shapes of the week, I think they were doing it wrong. Perhaps there are other Montessori preschools in your area that adhere more strictly to the principles of that system.

My mother-in-law simply formed a preschool with a bunch of other parents and ran it as a cooperative with parents running it and hiring the teachers.

I sent my son there. It was pretty play-based and he seemed to enjoy it.

That takes a lot of effort, however.

I'm sorry I don't know anything about preschools in your area, but I wanted to second that "letter of the week" etc isn't typical at all of Montessori. I'm surprised you haven't found more choice in the DFW area. Shopping for preschools can be tough, but when we were back at that age the thing I did was just go to every single preschool I could possibly find in our area and what I found was that not all Montessori is the same, and not all preschools that use the "letter of the week" academic philosophy are all about academics - sometimes they came with great creative/play opportunities.

polarbear

I googled play based preschool Ft Worth and found this. It allows you to search for type of program (i.e. playbased) and zip code. It may give you a good start.

http://www.savvysource.com/preschools/tx/fort-worth

I can tell you that a play based program worked great for my dd. Ours was a laboratory program in the local high school. I first went to visit just as a courtesy to a mom I knew - I had no desire to have dd be a lab rat for a high school child development class. I quickly fell in love with the program and have referred friends who also fell in love with it. No letter of the week at ours.

Keep an open mind and visit as many programs as you can. You may be surprised where you find your perfect match!

Yes, there are definitely play-based preschools that market themselves using that exact term. What's available in DFW area, I don't know, but surely there are choices near you in such a large metro area. You could call up some of the gifted schools in your area and ask them for recommendations on play-based preschools. Testing specialists may also have lists.

Both of my children go/went to a play-based preschool, and it has been a great fit for both of them, for the exact reasons you mentioned in your post. And no, you are not radical. Your DS will be in a formal learning situation when he gets to K, and you can deal with all that then. Right now, as our preschool says, the work of childhood is play, and play is serious learning. Our preschool's philosophy is very well-stated, and it's *exactly* what they do at the school http://lumpreschool.org/philosophy.html. You may also want to post on the Regional board to see if anyone different might take a look at your post and have some info for you.

DS did not enjoy Montessori at 3 either but loves his non-academic, purely play based preschool this year. Because there are no academics it has been better. He can do the academics he wants at home

I will send you a PM. There is something real close to you.